PRESIDIO: FROM BRAC TO FUDS

[Aimee Houghton <aimeeh@igc.org>]

From: Aimee Houghton <aimeeh@igc.org>

I recently received disturbing information about funding for 
environmental cleanup projects at the Presidio of San Francisco, a 
former Army base in San Francisco now part of the Golden Gate National 
Recreation Area. Not only is there not enough base closure cleanup 
money in fiscal year (FY) 1997 to carry out planned projects, but 
starting FY1998 the Presidio will have to compete for funds as a 
formerly used defense site (FUDS), not a base realignment and closure 
(BRAC) facility.
The Army recently held budget meetings concerning its environmental 
cleanup program at the Presidio. In attendance were representatives 
from Fort Lewis (Army), the Army Corps of Engineers, and the Army 
Environmental Center; the National Park Service (NPS), current owner of 
the facility; US EPA; the California Department of Toxic Substances 
Control; the City of San Francisco, and usually a Presidio Restoration 
Advisory Board member.
The objectives of the meeting were 1) to identify the funding resources 
for FY1997 and prioritize the cleanup efforts according to the NPS' 
July, 1994 General Management Plan Amendment (GMPA) and 2) to look at 
the overall Presidio cleanup budget (from FY1989 to FY2003) to get a 
sense of what has been spent to date and to estimate the cost to completion.
Army staff stated that $3.76 million (out of a $10 million request) 
would be allocated for the Presidio's FY1997 cleanup budget. Of this 
amount, $1.4 million would cover Army overhead costs, with the 
remaining dollars going toward the Park Service's two main priorities, 
removal of the Fuel Distribution System (FDS) and cleanup in the Crissy 
Field area. Both projects would be partially funded.
In addition, Army personnel stated that they did not anticipate any 
more funding for cleanup from the BRAC I account in FY1998 and FY1999. 
Instead, they said, the Presidio would receive all subsequent cleanup 
money from the FUDS program. The underfunded FUDS program cover 
thousands of separate facilities, so this creates a great deal of 
uncertainty. Remaining cleanup activities may be delayed indefinitely.
This dual (FY1997 and long-term) hit will seriously impact the 
Presidio's future as a national park. The Crissy Field reuse plan might 
not be implemented. Without completion of the FDS removal, installation 
of a new electrical system for park tenants will be delayed. Other 
projects, such as asbestos abatement, lead-paint abatement, and lead 
soil cleanup will be delayed. These are necessary activities in areas 
and near buildings that are supposed to be open to the public.
This bad fiscal news is not just a concern in the San Francisco Bay 
Area, where the Presidio is valued both as unique urban resource and as 
a symbol of conversion from warmaking to peace. It should concern all 
people living near closed or closing military bases. If a high priority 
reuse site such as the Presidio loses its priority BRAC funding before 
important cleanup actions are done, what will happen elsewhere? Even 
when cutting funds for cleanup at active bases, Congress and the 
Defense Department have confirmed the importance of base closure 
cleanup to facilitate transfer and reuse. But apparently the funding is 
still way too low, and the deadlines for cutting BRAC funding don't 
match the real needs of cleanup.
Lenny Siegel